Scrutiny and Pressure on Jimmy Garoppolo Will be Lightest it's Ever Been

Now that he is a backup that is being paid significantly less than he has in years past, criticism with him takes a tremendous step back.

Jimmy Garoppolo has been heavily scrutinized since 2019.

Part of that is due to how solid he was in the final five games of 2017 that saw the 49ers go undefeated. The other part is due to the contract the 49ers gave him following that season. It is only natural for there to be heavy criticism and pressure on a quarterback who is taking up roughly 15 percent of the salary cap space. The quarterback has to deliver and make up for flaws that the team cannot sure up due to the money tied up.

Garoppolo is set to take over as the starter once again with Trey Lance out for the year. This time around, the scrutiny and pressure on Garoppolo will be the lightest it's ever been with the 49ers. Now that he is a backup that is being paid significantly less than he has in years past, criticism with him takes a tremendous step back. 

There will still be parts of his game that will receive slander. But this team cannot look to him to be the savior (not that it ever has). The fact that he stomached coming back to the team to be the backup is savior enough. Garoppolo is playing with house money at this point. You have to wonder what that will do to his game. When he filled in for the injured Lance, Garoppolo pushed the ball downfield. It was shocking to see. Garoppolo did point out following the win against Seattle about the freedom he felt in his performance versus the time in 2017.

"In ‘17, there was a freedom where me, the receivers, tight ends, we had a good chemistry going," Garoppolo said. "And when you get that with offensive skills and a quarterback, it makes for a tough offense.” 

You have to wonder if that was a function of Garoppolo coming in as a relief player, or if he really does feel free. The games ahead shall reveal if Garoppolo is more or less the same player that he has been in the last couple of seasons. If he is able to have a semblance of actually wanting to push the ball downfield and able to connect on a couple here and there, then the 49ers will have something to work with.

And if he fails, then that is okay. The scrutiny will still be there as it is for any quarterback, but not with the same intensity as the past when his contract demanded more out of him.